On March 8, the 26th New York Open Judo Championship will be held in New York City at the New York Athletic Club. The New York Open Judo Championship is regarded as one of the premier judo tournaments in the United States, attracting some of the best judo players from around the world.

This competition is considered to be one of the strongest tournaments in the Pan American region and will host an international female team match between Japan and the United States for the first time in tournament history. This friendship team match is designed to demonstrate the sprit and character of the sport of Judo.

Seven Japanese female athletes from major universities in Japan will face seven U.S. female athletes.

The U.S. women's team coach will be Rusty Kanokogi, former Olympic coach and a 7th degree black belt who is one of the world's most famous judo practitioners. She will be assisted by Jimmy Pedro, former World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist.

The Japan's women's team coach will be world famous coach and competitor Jun Konno, a four-time Asian Champion.

"Once again we look forward to welcoming athletes from more than 20 countries such as Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, USA and Uzbekistan," said Tournament Director Dr. Mel Appelbaum. "We look forward to an outstanding event as athletes from all over the world compete to become a New York Open Champion."

The New York Open Judo Championship is an B-Level tournament for international competitors and a USA Judo Senior C-Level point tournament for U.S. players held annually each spring for men only and is sanctioned by USA Judo.

The Open Judo Championship will take place at the New York Athletic Club, located at 180 Central Park South (corner of 59th St. and 7th Avenue). Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door. Tournament action begins at 7:30am, with the finals scheduled to start around 4:30pm.